Web 2.0rhea outbreak bought, killed

Blogging software maven Six Apart has acquired and killed a minor outbreak of Web 2.0rhea.

In announcing its purchase of the Twitter-like Pownce, Six Apart also announced that the micro-bogging app would disappear in thirteen days. "As of today, Pownce will no longer be accepting new users," read an email sent to Web2.0rhea sufferers early this morning. "Our thanks go out to everyone who contributed to the Pownce community."

Six Apart — the outfit behind blogging platforms Moveable Type and TypePad — did not respond to a request for comment.

Backed by Web 2.0 poster child Kevin "Digg" Rose, Pownce made its debut in the summer of 2007, promising an even more vomitous version of Twitter's stream of 140-character sound-byte consciousness. Unlike Twitter, it was set up to instantly transfer files, and Silicon Valley types were so excited that beta accounts were selling on eBay.

But in the end, Pownce Web 2.0rhea wasn't as contagious as Twitter Web 2.0rhea.

It seems, however, that Six Apart still believes in Pownce. On some level. According to a blog post from former Pownce CEO Leah Culver — who now joins Six Apart along with Pownce co-founder Mike Malone — the micro-boggers will "come back with something much better in 2009."

And now we await the death of Twitter. It may have the industry-leading vomit share, but it lacks anything close to a business model. ®